The present disclosure generally relates to hybrid air chamber-coil spring mattress systems and processes, and more particularly, to an improved hybrid air chamber-coil spring mattress system having an interactive and adjustable pocketed coil and air chamber.
Varieties of mattress constructions are well known and are generally supplied in different degrees of firmness. For example, some mattresses are extremely soft and yieldable, i.e., plush, while others are relatively rigid and unyielding, i.e., firm. Once a mattress of a particular firmness has been purchased, it cannot generally be changed without the necessity of having to purchase another mattress. Individual preferences desired by one or two people sleeping on one mattress surface for comfort or to address pain or life changing events is often not fulfilled by current mattress designs.
The problem of supplying mattresses with various degrees of firmness is a considerable one. This applies to manufacturers and retailers who are typically required to maintain a large inventory of mattresses with different degrees of firmness. In addition, considerable difficulty arises with respect to hotels and the like which are often required to satisfy the particular requirements or tastes of its guests as to the firmness of the mattress in a particular room. For these reasons, it is desirable to provide a single mattress, which easily adjusts to provide different degrees of firmness.
A bedding or seating product can be fabricated from such strings of pocketed springs by binding or adhering the individual rows or strings of pocketed, i.e., wrapped, springs together to form a spring assembly which may be padded and encased in an upholstered covering. U.S. Pat. No. 6,143,122, which is fully incorporated by reference herein, discloses one such method of adhesively bonding strings of pocketed springs together to form a spring assembly.
A well-known type of bedding or seating product comprises a spring assembly which includes a number of discrete coil springs, each of which is enclosed in a fabric pocket in a length of folded fabric material. Longitudinal axes of the coil springs are generally parallel with one another so that the top and bottom end turns of the coil springs define top and bottom faces of the spring assembly. A row of such pocketed springs is known in the industry as a string (or strand) of pocketed springs. A bedding or seating product can be fabricated from such strings of pocketed springs by binding or adhering the individual rows or strings of pocketed springs together to form a spring assembly which may be padded and encased in an upholstered covering
This type of spring assembly is commonly referred to as a pocketed spring assembly due to the fact that each spring is contained within an individual pocket of fabric material. The construction of strings of pocketed coil springs is well known in the art and, for example, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,977, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The system disclosed in that patent includes a spring coiler which forms a coil spring which is subsequently compressed and inserted between the plies of folded pocketing fabric material.
Pocketed spring assemblies are generally recognized to have a unique and particular luxurious feel to them and mattresses manufactured of such pocketed spring assemblies provide a feeling of softness without lacking spring resilience or support. Mattresses and similar articles constructed of pocketed spring assemblies are often considered a high-end type of product because of the added benefits and features of the pocketed coil springs. Mattresses and the like of this type can be more costly to manufacture and assemble as a result of the considerable amount of time and labor which is involved in their manufacture, together with the fact that the method of fabrication and assembly of such pocketed spring assemblies can be complicated, particularly in an automated process.
While pocketed spring assemblies are considered to provide a combination of softness and support, the ability to economically posturize a spring assembly or mattress of pocketed spring coils has heretofore been difficult. Posturization provides multiple zones or sections of differing firmnesses within a product such as a mattress. For example, the middle regions of the mattress, which typically support a person's torso, often require a firmer more resilient support while other areas of the mattress which support the feet and head of a person require a softer feel.